Russia covers military aircraft with tyres to confuse Ukrainian missiles
The Russian military has used another tactic to at least somehow protect its aircraft by covering its military aircraft with tyres.
Here's What We Know
Satellite imagery shows several bombers and fighters with car tyres on their wings and fuselage.
According to Schuyler Moore, the chief technical officer for US Central Command, this tactic is likely chosen to thwart incoming attacks by confusing missiles searching for enemy aircraft.
"If you put tyres on the wings, it's going to be hard for a lot of computer vision models to tell it's an aircraft," she explained.
Brace yourselves, because the Russians have once again shown unparalleled innovation. What you are looking at is a satellite image featuring a TU-95 strategic bomber covered with car tyres. According to them, this should protect strategic bombers from drones pic.twitter.com/ZjDDzRPOWf
- Tatarigami_UA (@Tatarigami_UA) 3 September 2023
Preliminary analyses suggest that the tyres were intended to disrupt the aircraft's infrared signatures. Others have suggested that they could be for additional protection.
Moore also noted that some missiles use pre-set data and imagery to find targets. Without effective adaptation, an adversary could simply swap out or alter their equipment to confuse existing targeting systems.
Source: The Defence Post
